Ep 22: Steampunk; What’s to Love about Revisionist History?

Welcome one and all to Professor Metal’s Irate Debate and Calamitous Commentary with the Philosophical Chain Gang.

Steampunk: What’s to love about Revisionist History?
The Philosophers discuss what makes Steampunk appealing in broad strokes
Bruce defines Steampunk as a Victorian Era aesthetic
Sean clarifies that it is a much more egalitarian and diverse aesthetic than the actual Victorian Era
The Philosophers go on to discuss the technological aspects of Steampunk
Bruce questions why the Victorian Era is an appealing focus
Sean talks about the other many other focuses by different subcultures, from fantasy to far future
Ryver discusses the sources of the Steampunk aesthetic, such as HG Wells
Sean posits that the appeal may be in looking back and taking a revisionist approach to an otherwise difficult time in history
Bruce brings up the rapid growth of society and technology during the this time period
Sean talks about the impact of lengthening human life spans on this growth
Ryver questions what the essence of Steampunk is
Sean elaborates his definition of Steampunk and the relationship to the Punk ethos
Bruce talks about the piecemeal recreation of history to make it better
Ryver and Sean discuss the desire to not repeat the history and the glorification of the positive aspects of it
Bruce talks about how this relates to the future created in Star Trek
Sean questions whether or not it is a good thing to somewhat brush over the mistakes of the past
Bruce responds that there is very little mistaking Steampunk for Victorian history
Ryver talks about how this brushing over of the tragic events of history was quite common before the Modern era
Sean presents the idea that making these corrections allows us to hold on to the lessons learned by understanding what we are correcting
The Philosophers discuss what the Punk is, and how it influences the aesthetic and ethos of Steampunk
Bruce moves on to discuss the origins of both the term and the idea of Steampunk
Sean questions what Steampunk has to offer us
Ryver expresses the idea that it is something of a coping mechanism for looking at a dark place in history
Bruce and Ryver discuss that it may be a useful tool for analyzing our own era in history
Sean talks about the Steampunk essay and how it relates to Cyberpunk
Bruce expresses the optimism of the Victorian era and the technological dead ends of the time
Ryver discuss what were effectively mega corporations of the Victorian era
Sean talks about the individual desire for revision of history, and how changing how we look at past events can make us better prepared for the future
Professor Metal takes the last word to talk about how Philosophy can enrich your life, World Domination, and Super Villainy
A new game, To Ascertain Verisimilitude, where Ryver attempts to determine which of the cast is truthfully representing the philosopher John Stuart Mill

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